


Taylor, the Latte Boy

by Stormtrooperinclogs



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: And speaking of CAUGHT, Brian is caught in the middle, Excessive song lyric referecnes, First Kiss, Freddie is a lovesick puppy, Love at First Sight, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, coffee shop AU, froger - Freeform, ha ha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:37:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24560137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormtrooperinclogs/pseuds/Stormtrooperinclogs
Summary: There's a new barista at Starbucks.
Relationships: Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39
Collections: Freddie Mercury Weekend 2020!





	Taylor, the Latte Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> This is my contribution for Freddie Mercury Weekend, hosted by my friend Nastally. The prompt I chose was "coffee shop au". So, this is my version of that classic fanfic trope.
> 
> Enjoy!

Every day at 8:11, Freddie Mercury would stop at Starbucks on his way to work. Every day, he would order his double latte and pay the $3.55. Then he would take his drink and be on his way. He had done this five days a week for the last three years without much hassle.

But today, as he walked in at 8:11, he noticed that there was a new barista at the counter. Normally, that wouldn’t have been a problem, except that this new barista was  _ gorgeous _ . Even from where Freddie stood in the entryway, he could see the man’s baby blue eyes and hair the color of pure sunshine.

Now Freddie wasn’t typically one to believe in “love at first sight”, but he couldn’t deny that there was something about this man. Freddie felt  _ drawn _ to him. There was no other way to describe what was happening. He felt like he was floating as his feet approached the counter.

The barista smiled politely as Freddie made his way to the front of the line. “Welcome to Starbucks, how are you today?”

Freddie was so enamored by the gravelly voice that came out of such an angelic face, that he just stared at the blonde man for a moment instead of answering. There was something awe-inspiring about being so close to this man and looking directly at him. Freddie could swear he felt his heart grow wings and fly out of his chest.

“Welcome to Starbucks,” he repeated. “How are you today, sir?”

“Fine!” he said quickly, snapping back to reality, before hastily adding “And my name’s Freddie.”

“ _ Hey _ ,” he answered softly, a half-smile spreading across his face. “Alright,  _ Freddie _ , what can I get for you?”

Freddie cleared his throat, ordered his double latte, and paid the $3.55. There weren’t very many other people there, so it only took a minute for Freddie to get his drink.

“Wait, there must be some mistake,” he said, examining the contents of the cup. “I didn’t order extra foam.”

“I know,” the barista winked.

***

“And I said 'my name is Freddie, and thank you for the extra foam',” Freddie explained.

“Okay,” Brian nodded. “And did he tell you  _ his _ name?”

“Roger. Roger Taylor.” Freddie’s dreamy expression melted into an annoyed scowl as his roommate let out an amused snort. “I’m sorry, is something funny?”

“Roger Taylor is the name of the new drummer who just joined Smile,” Brian laughed.

“Blond hair? Blue eyes? About my height?”

“Yeah.”

Freddie’s mouth hung open for a moment at this news. The man he had fallen for this morning at the coffee shop was his best friend and roommate’s new bandmate!

“You have to introduce me!” Freddie exclaimed when he found his voice again.

“I think you already did that yourself.”

“No, no dear. I’m not talking about some awkward hello. I mean a proper formal introduction.”

“Alright, Fred,” Brian smiled. “After our next concert, I will  _ properly _ introduce you.”

***

Smile’s next gig wasn’t for another week. So until then, Freddie continued his daily Starbucks visits. And it seemed that Roger was  _ always there _ . Always there to greet him with a smile. Always adding a little something extra to his double latte. Always giving Freddie that little wink as he left.

Over the days, as Roger’s flirting attempts became more obvious, so did Freddie’s crush. Brian was actually quite sick of hearing about it. But it had been a long time since his roommate had even attempted to date someone, so he let him talk. Besides, although he didn’t pretend to know Roger very well, he seemed like a decent chap. 

For as long as Brian had known Freddie, he hadn’t seemed terribly interested in love. Too many bad experiences or something. If anything, the older man would avoid romance whenever possible, sticking mainly with quick hookups rather than actual dates. And while he seemed perfectly content doing that, Brian thought this change might be good for him. He actually found it endearing that his roommate was acting like a lovesick puppy.

Freddie had even written a little poem for Roger. Well, more of a short song really. He hoped that Roger would like the fact it’s musical because he plays the drums. Maybe after the concert, Freddie could get his nerve up and recite it for him.

***

On the day of the concert, Freddie walked into the Starbucks at 8:11, just like he would on any other day. He saw that Roger had already started making his drink by the time he reached the counter. Being a creature of habit, he  _ did _ order the same thing every day. But it was still incredibly sweet that the barista had memorized it. 

But then Freddie noticed something else. He usually ordered a  _ double _ latte. But Roger flipped the lever and made it  _ triple _ . There was nobody in front of him in line, so Freddie was certain it must be for him. 

“Triple latte for Freddie!” Roger confirmed.

“Thank you,” Freddie smiled and took the cup. “How much?”

“No charge.”

Well, that was nice. If he was going to make his latte triple instead of double, not charging him extra was the least he could do.

“Hey uh, so my band is playing down at The Village tonight,” Roger said.

“The bar on 42nd street?”

“That’s the one. We’ll be down in the basement.”

“What time are you playing? And thank you for the extra skim.” 

Roger told him what time the band was going on and stopped Freddie as he tried to reach for his wallet. “Keep the $3.55 because this triple latte is on me.”

***

Freddie hummed his little tune as he got ready for the concert. He had seen Smile perform dozens of times in the past because of his friendship with Brian, but tonight was different. Tonight he wasn’t just going to support his friend. Tonight he was going because the boy at the coffee shop wanted him to go. 

He still couldn’t believe that Roger actually invited him. He would’ve been at the concert regardless, but now seeing the barista there wouldn’t be a weird coincidence. The anticipation was making him all giddy inside!

Brian and Freddie were the first two to arrive at the venue. Brian had always had a thing about arriving early. He was the guy who would be at the airport several hours before his flight. Freddie was the one who would usually show up at the last minute. Fortunately, Brian was usually more insistent about leaving when he felt they should. As a result, they would often get really good seats at movie theaters and concerts.

Hopefully, other people would start showing up soon. At least Tim and Roger. While Brian didn’t  _ mind _ setting up their equipment by himself, some help would be nice. Freddie sometimes tried, but he didn’t know much about their setup. He could only follow Brian’s directions about what to put where.

Freddie began singing softly as he helped Brian with the various amps and mics that made up their layout.

_ “Taylor, the latte boy, _

_ Bring me java, bring me joy, _

_ Oh Talyor, the latte boy, _

_ I love him, I love him, I love him.” _

“Y’know, I don’t really go by Taylor,” said a familiar gravelly voice.

Freddie spun around at the sound, a look of sheer terror written across his face, and was met by the man who had inspired his little poem. His heart dropped to his toes. Roger wasn’t supposed to hear that. Not yet at least. Freddie wanted to run, to go home, to do  _ anything _ that wasn’t standing there facing the man he wrote those words for in the first place.

His voice had completely left him as he tried in vain to explain himself. Roger must think he’s an idiot, the way he’s so epically failing to make words. 

But instead of turning around and never returning, Roger looked at Freddie the way he did on that very first day and  _ smiled _ . “Did you write that?” he asked softly,

Freddie nodded, still frozen in shock.

“Is it for me?”

Freddie cleared his throat and remembered how to speak. “Yes.”

His heart raced as he waited for Roger’s reaction. They had only met about a week ago. Would he think it was weird that Freddie was writing poetry about him? 

Roger tilted Freddie’s chin up so he could look him in the eye. “I think that’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

His voice was gentle and there was sincerity in those brilliant blue eyes. All at once, Freddie’s anxiety melted away. 

“I was going to show you after the concert,” Freddie explained. 

“Sorry to ruin the surprise,” Roger grinned.

Freddie quickly glanced at Roger’s lips. “Did you like it?”

“Yes.” Roger reached up to cup Freddie’s face, his thumb swiping across the exotic man’s bottom lip. “Can I..?”

Freddie nodded, mesmerized by Roger’s face a mere  _ inch _ from his own. “ _ Please. _ ”

Roger gave a relieved smile and kissed Freddie. 

Almost instantly, Freddie melted into the kiss. Roger’s lips were every bit as soft as he’d imagined, and he tasted like a combination of coffee, cigarettes, and some other third thing that Freddie couldn’t identify. Thank God one of them was brave enough to initiate this.

“I promised Freddie I’d introduce you two  _ properly _ after the show, but it looks like you beat me to it,” Brian joked, interrupting the pair.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Roger asked, confused.

“Roger, this is Freddie. My friend and roommate.”

“So lemme get this straight. This whole time, the guy I’ve been talking about was your  _ roommate? _ ”

“Small world, isn’t it darling?” Freddie grinned.

Freddie was both relieved and excited to hear that Roger had been talking about him too. Based on his actions at Starbucks, Freddie assumed that his attraction to the barista wasn’t completely one-sided, but now he knew for sure. Roger had fallen for him too, and just as hard! He felt like he was dreaming. Like any minute now he would wake up and all of this would disappear. But he wasn’t! This was all real and it was all really happening! 

Who knew that all Freddie had to do to find love was step up to the counter and order? So long, his heart had waited for someone like Roger. So many years of meaningless hookups, hoping in vain that one of them would stick around. All this time, who’d have thought that love could be so caffeinated?

Roger laughed and kissed Freddie again.

_ Taylor, the latte boy, _

_ He loved him, he loved him, he loved him. _

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, comments are always appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
